SPECIAL CODE: Greenwood High School Senior Spent Summer with Sony

Jayshon Montgomery thought his future as a storyteller would involve a pen or video camera. But after a summer spent interning at Sony, the Greenwood Academy senior wants to tell stories with zeroes and ones.

Jayshon was one of three high school students in the Bay Area to earn an internship with Sony to work on its MESH Project, an innovative tool that lets individuals build their own projects and "smart inventions.”

The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education and Congressman Mark DeSaulnier recognized Jayshon for his achievement at its October 3 board meeting.

“Coding is like you are creating your own world,” Jayshon said. “You can make (coding) do whatever you want it to do.”

At Sony, Jayshon created a video game and as part of the MESH Project, created a surveillance camera hidden inside a teddy bear.

“I didn’t really understand what it was,” Christina Buckingham, Jayshon’s mother, said. “But then he told me and I was so proud. It kept him busy and opened his eyes up to the next step in life.”

Through a partnership with PilotCity, the District’s college and career department led by Mary Kadri and Jayshon’s teacher Lilia McIntyre and Greenwood Principal Allison Huie, Sony was a fixture on campus for 12 weeks to provide project- and work-based experiences for students. Jayshon took full advantage of the opportunity and after completing one of his projects, PilotCity Director Derrick Lee, offered Jayshon the Sony internship.

“I was never exposed to coding,” Jayshon said. “But once I was, I was like I want to do this for the rest of my life.”

After graduation, Jayshon plans to attend coding school at 42 Silicon Valley and continue his career at Sony.